Lift-platform truck



Patented Oct. 6, 1931 D STATES DONALD s. ANDREWS, or RUMson, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 ANDREWS CRANE con- TPORATION,1 OF NEW YORK, .11. Y.,

A CORPORATION or DELAWARE LIFT-PLATFORM TRUCK Applicationfiled April 14, 1927. Serial No. 183,638.

The invention relates to trucks which are onto and unloading it from a carrying vehiole, such as a box-car.

In anapplic'ation heretofore filed by me and John R. Wyllie as'i oint inventors, Serial No. 165,010, 'filed J anuary 31, 1927, there is disclosed and claimeda new method of handling freight in which the goods to be shipped a'r'e placed in large containers having permanent supports so constructed that,

while supported'on the floor, they may be engaged bya lift-platform truck, freed from the floorandthereby transferred to the control of the truck,carried to any desired place and there deposited, allwithoutmanual handling as required by present methods. The

present invention was devised particularly for use in this method, although, in some aspects, it has a wider'application.

The objectofthe invention'is'to facilitate thehaindlingof merchandise in such'containers T by fmech'a'n'ical means, that is, in a way tea-void manual handling,'to the end that the loaded or unloaded containers may be mechanically engaged with and disengaged from a the truck, and the truck and container may be independently manipulated to move the container into a confined space and'deposi'tit therein.

The invention consists in the means hereinafter described and particularly set forth in the appended claims.

-The invention iscapable of embodiment in different forms but the best form in which I have contemplated applying the principles thereof'is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which I 'Figurel is a plan view of a lift-platform truck constructed in accordance with my invention.

ig. 2 is aside elevation thereof. 7 Fig. Sis a fragmentary sectional view of therear portion ofthe truck showing the platform in elevated position,'1takenon line IKE-"III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4-is an enlarged vertical section on line IVIV of Fig. 2.

Fig 5 is a plan view of the truck showing a load on the platform, illustrating the capao ity of the truck to permit rotation of the load 'on a vertical axis.

Fig. 6 is-a side elevation of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 1s a fragmentary side elevation of the rear portion of the truck in position to engage and elevate a load while supported on the floor.

As illustrated in the drawings, the inven tion is embodied in a lift-platform truck having a frame or chassis 1, comprising a tractor frame forming one end integrally tically movable and rotatable platform, to-be hereinafter described. The tractor wheels 2 are mounted on steeringknuckles 6 which have a pivotal motion about vertical axes 7 and receive power through suitable gearing (well known) from an electric motor 7a. Opposite steering knuckles 6 are connected to move simultaneously bymeans of an ordinary tie rod 8. A rock-shaft 9 is pivotally mounted on the frame on a vertical axis and is provided with a tiller handle 9a in a con venient position to be grasped by an operator standing on the platform 10, and the rock shaft 9 is connected to one of the steering knuckles by a connecting rod 11.

The forward end 5 of the frame '1 comprises side bars 12 and a central bar 13. The supporting wheels *3 are rotatably mounted onlthe opposite ends of 'anaxle 14, to the cento the end of which is pivotally secured a connectingirod 16, ivoted to the outer end of an arm 17 rigid with a vertical rock-shaft 18 mounted in hearings on the frame and carrying a tiller handle 19 at its upper end.

The forward depressed end 5 of the frame 1 serves as a supporting frame for a rotatable platform 20. In the embodiment shown the platform 20 may be elevated and lowered and also rotated, and the means by which it is so adapted will be now described.

A supplemental frame casting 22 is bolted to a supplemental frame 23 having depending skirts or flanges 24: which extend outwardly beyond the side bars 12 of the forward end of the chassis and engage the upper edges of said bars when the supplemental frame is in its lowered position. The side bars 12 are provided with upwardly extending brackets 25 having upwardly and rearwardly inclined faces or cams 26, and the supplemental frame is provided with depending brackets 27 having faces or cams 28 set at substantially right angles to the cams 26. To elevate and lower he supplemental frame a longitudinally movable actuating member 29 is provided, consisting of side members 30 and cross bar 81. The side members carry rollers 32 which project outwardly in the path of the respective cams s6 and 28, and power means is suitably mounted on the chassis to reciprocate the actuating member 29. As shown, the power means consists of a reversible electric motor under the control of the operator, which, through any suitable gearing, extends and retracts a thrust bar 3st connected with the central portion of the cross bar 31. To prevent the supplemental frame from moving cndwise when force is applied to effect its elevation, it connected to the main frame by links 35 pivoted at their opposite ends to the main and supplemental frames, respectively, as indicated at 35a, 35b.

The platform 20 is rotatably mounted on the supplemental frame casting 22 by a pivot pin to connected with the supplemental frame casting at a central point, and ball bearings 37 are interposed between the platform and supplemental frame casting. Secured on the lower face of the platform 20 is a large spur gear 38 with which meshes a small pinion 39 connected with reduction gearing 4O operated by an electric or other motor 41, under the control of the operator.

Lift-platform trucks are especially adapted to cooperate with merchandise containers while supported above the floor in a manner to permit the lift-platform to be inserted beneath the load to lift the same and convey it, together with its support, to any desired point of placement. The means for supporting the container in the manner described will ordinarily consist of a base or platform, either separate from or integral with the container itself. having side flanges or legs, between which the lift-platform may enter; such a 1,see,11e

support may conveniently be called a container-support.

In the construction above described the supplemental frame of the lift-platform is movable vertically on the main frame but does not rotate, and, as illustrated, is of greater length than width. lVhile the platform 20 may rotate on the supplemental frame through 360, when no containersupport is mounted thereon, the extent to which it may be rotated when loaded. will depend upon the structural characteristics of the coiitainer-support. Vere a containersupport employed having depending side 'ianges as the supporting means, rotation of the load would be limited by such flanges coming into contact with the supplemental frame. This might be obviated by reducing the dimensions of the supplemental frame so as to permit the flanges of the containersupport to clear the supplemental frame, but even in such case the truck could not free itself from the container and its support when the latter is atright angles to the longitudinal axis of the truck. Therefore, in order to permit a container with its support to be rotated through while supported on the truck, and to permit the withdrawal of the truck from the load while so related,

the container-supliiort is provided with legs 42 at each of its corners, and the supplemental frame is spaced from the tractor part of the main frame. The side bars 12 of the chassis are also slightly depressed, as shown at 13, in order that the platform may be as close to the ground as possible for entrance beneath the load and at the same time permit the legs of the container-support to pass clear of the chassis in its rotative motion.

In order that the supports of the container:

may clear the frame or chassis 1 when the load is rotated, it is obvious that the platform must be capable of being elevated a distance at least equal to the normal distance above the floor of that part of the frame 1 which lies between the platform and the tractor-supporting frame, and this required elevation may be effected by the means above described.

The characteristic feature of this 1I1W311-"' tion is the relation of the lift-platform. to its support whereby it may be moved angularly in a horizontal plane with respect to the longitiulinal. axis of the truck. It is therefore obvious that the invention may be embodied in a variety of other forms and. many other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that the invention is not limitedto the details shown but includes all changes, substitutions and modifications comprehended within the terms of the appended claims.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A lift-platform truck comprising a tractor frame rigidly connected with a plat form-supporting frame, the latter frame being depressed with respect to the former, tractive means mounted in the tractor-supporting frame, rolling supporting means for the platform-supporting frame, a rotatable and vertically movable platform mounted on the platform-supporting frame and spaced from the tractor-supporting frame a distance suflicient to permit free rotation thereof, and means for elevating the platform a distance at least equal. to the normal distance above the floor of that part of the frame which lies between the rotatable platform and the tractor frame.

2. A lift-platform truck comprising a frame depressed at one end, a source of power mounted on said frame, traction wheels and supporting wheels sustaining said frame, the traction wheels deriving their power from said source of power, a vertically adjustable rotatable platform mounted on the depressed end of said frame, and power means to elevate and rotate said platform.

Signed by me this 12th day of March,

DONALD S. ANDREWS. 

